Osama Saad - Smart PM Training

Osama Saad - Smart PM Training I help planners prepare progress reports in seconds and analyze projects with a click of a button.

05/10/2026

Basic Schedule Update in P6 for Beginners

A schedule is only as reliable as its last update.

In this walkthrough, I go through the fundamentals of performing a schedule update in Primavera P6: setting the data date, marking activities as started or finished, and reflecting progress accurately.

Small steps, but they're what keep a schedule credible and useful for decision-making throughout a project.

01/10/2026

How to Bulk Load Costs & Resources into Primavera P6 Using Excel

Assigning resources activity by activity isn't scalable because this can take several days to complete once your schedule has thousands of activities.

That's why it is recommended to prepare your TASK and TASKRSRC data in Excel first, using INDEX and MATCH to pull quantities, costs, and labor units automatically for every activity.

By structuring your resource assignments (QTY, COST, LABOR) in Excel and importing them directly into P6, you can load cost and resources across an entire schedule in minutes instead of days.

👉 Bulk loading saves time, avoids manual assignment errors, and turns your baseline into a fully cost and resource-loaded baseline schedule.

Watch the full tutorial here: https://academy.smartpmtraining.com/NO-MANUAL-ASSIGNMENTS

30/09/2026

Cost & Resource Loading in Primavera P6 | Complete Step-by-Step Tutorial

A baseline without resources isn't a real plan. It's just a set of dates with no idea of the labor, materials, or cost behind them.

That's why it is recommended to calculate your cost and resource needs.

By calculating total mandays and man-hours per activity in Excel, then loading them as resources and cost in Primavera P6, you can turn activity requirements into a fully resourced, cost-loaded baseline.

👉 Treat resource loading as an essential part of planning, not an afterthought. It saves time, gives you a realistic baseline, and turns your schedule into a true project control tool.

Watch the full tutorial here: https://academy.smartpmtraining.com/STEP-BY-STEP-GUIDE

29/09/2026

Planning Engineer's Responsibilities

A report is the output of a full cycle: Plan, Update, Analyze, Present, and Act.

That's why it is recommended to treat planning as an end-to-end process, not a single deliverable.

By understanding the contract, updating progress data with best practices, analyzing it in P6, Excel, or Power BI, and presenting clear recovery actions, you can move from reporting delays to actually resolving them, including issuing the right correspondence or EOT when needed.

👉 Treat your role as a planner as a full cycle, not a checkbox.

28/09/2026

Visualize Project Progress Automatically with Excel Conditional Formatting

A table can hide the story that your stakeholders actually need to see at a glance.

That's why it is sometimes recommended to convert your project data into a purpose-built visual before it reaches a report.

By building the right visual for the right data, you can visualize the progress quickly and effectively.

Watch the full tutorial here: https://academy.smartpmtraining.com/AUTO-PROGRESS-LAYOUT

24/09/2026

How to Download and Install P6 for Free

Database configuration used to be the main reason schedulers delayed setting up P6 on their own machines.

That's why it is recommended to install the P6 Professional Standalone (SQLite) version instead of manually configuring Oracle or SQL.

By downloading the DLP package from Oracle's e-delivery portal and choosing the standalone SQLite option, you can have P6 fully installed for free and running in five minutes, with zero database configuration.

👉 Treat the installation as a five-minute setup, not an IT project. It saves time, removes the frustration of database configuration, and gets you scheduling right away.

23/09/2026

Advanced Excel Charts for Project Control

Charts offer clarity when you manage the schedule data that changes every week.

That's why it is recommended to go beyond default bar and line charts and use purpose-built ones.

By using these advanced Excel charts, you can turn data into insights in a more effective way.

👉 Treat your charts as a control tool, not a report. They save time and elevate your Excel sheet into a real project control system.

Watch the full tutorial here: https://academy.smartpmtraining.com/ADVANCED-EXCEL-CHARTS

22/09/2026

The 3 Activity Delay Scenarios Every Project Controls Beginner Should Understand

⚠️ Not every change in your schedule update means your project is actually delayed.

When you compare an updated activity against its baseline, there are three distinct scenarios you need to recognize.

In this short video, I break down each scenario using simple Gantt bar comparisons: when an activity shifts but still finishes within the baseline window, when it grows longer but stays contained, and when it truly pushes beyond the baseline finish and drives a real project delay.

Understanding the difference is essential for accurate schedule analysis and delay attribution. It is one of those fundamentals that, once mastered, sharpens how you read and explain every update from then on.

21/09/2026

How to Prepare a Baseline Narrative and Compile a Complete Baseline Submission Package

Most planners build the schedule but a few package it correctly.

If your baseline submission doesn't include a proper narrative — covering key components such as a logistics plan, programme assumptions, WBS dictionary, critical path, productivity, cash flow, and manpower histogram — it's not a complete package. And incomplete packages can impact your project success and your ability to resolve disputes in the future.

In this video, I walk you through how to prepare a professional baseline narrative and compile a full 14-section submission package, step by step.

Watch full video here: https://academy.smartpmtraining.com/BASELINE-SUBMISSION

17/09/2026

How to View and Print the Resource Usage Profile in Primavera P6

⚠️ Overloaded resources are one of the top causes of construction delays.

Primavera P6's Resource Usage Profile helps you see exactly where the pressure points are before they derail your project.

In this short video, I walk you through how to use this powerful view.

Address

FOB51587, Compass Building
Ras Al-Khaimah

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Osama Saad - Smart PM Training posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category